The No. 1 Song On August 21, 1962 Sounds Even More Delightful Today

Though they seem to have gone extinct, instructional-dance songs have had periods of dominance in the charts. The success of Chubby Checker's iconic dance song "The Twist" in 1960 kicked the doors open for the category of rock 'n' roll and pop tunes that are their own manual. Hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August, 21, 1962, Little Eva's rendition of "The Loco-Motion" rode that wave to perfection. With its lively vocal arrangements, gorgeous harmonies, and unforgettable hooks, it's among the songs guaranteed to give boomers party flashbacks.

That No. 1 added to the impressive resume of the songwriting duo of Carole King and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, who scored a string of early '60s hits like "Every Breath I Take," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," and "Chains." "The Loco-Motion" became a breakthrough hit for the couple's babysitter, Little Eva Boyd, and remakes of the catchy No. 1 hit took the charts by storm in both the '70s and '80s. Few arrangements are as likely to get stuck in your head and make you kick your shoes off, even if the lyrics are a bit vague about the dance's actual steps. 

Sparking a full-blown dance craze, "Loco-Motion" took over sock-hops and high school dances, while skyrocketing up the charts. Few knew where this train would lead, and once the hips started shaking, they never stopped. Like few others, that No. 1 has crossed generations and decades, becoming nothing less than a stone-cold classic song.

Until their divorce in 1968, Carole King's piano compositions and Gerry Goffin's lyrics came together to produce an impressive list of hits for artists throughout the '60s. The songwriting team worked for music publisher Aldon Music in the legendary Brill Building, penning hits for a who's who of artists, from Aretha Franklin to the Chiffons and Herman's Hermits. Even among peers like Neil Sedaka, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David, the couple shined in the early, highly-competitive pop songwriting industry.

When they came up with "The Loco-Motion," inspired by Dee Dee Sharp's No. 2 hit, "Mashed Potato Time," they already knew their then 19-year-old babysitter, Eva Boyd, had singing talent. She'd worked as a backup singer for the R&B girl group, Cookies, and was a natural choice to cut the demo version of the song. Aldon Music head Al Kirschner liked the demo and pushed to release the recording on a label he'd set up for Goffin and King, Dimension Records. On that score, his instincts were spot on.

Released under her stage name and family nickname, Little Eva, "The Loco-Motion" thrust Boyd into the spotlight. In fact, it came out without her even knowing they'd used her demo because she thought they wanted the song for Sharp. In a 2004 interview with RTE, she remembered getting a call while babysitting and being asked to tune in to a radio station at a specific time. When she heard her voice on the track, she was shocked. "You know, I was just yelling and jumping and screaming and running all over the apartment," she recalled. "I couldn't believe it ... it was wonderful."

"The Loco-Motion" made Little Eva a superstar, and she had just a few weeks to develop the accompanying dance in time for her appearance on American Bandstand. However, topping that success proved impossible, and, like many musicians at the time, she never ended up making much money. The management, publishers, and labels "didn't look out for us financially," she told RTE, adding, "...It hurt me more than it made me bitter." A follow-up single, "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby," also by Goffin and King, reached No. 12 in 1962, but by the following year her career started slowing down.

In 1971, Little Eva left the music business and New York disillusioned, taking her family to native North Carolina. But "The Loco-Motion" returned to the top twice. It reached the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 with Grand Funk Railroad's version in 1974, becoming the hard rock group's biggest single. And when Australian soap opera star Kylie Minogue released her version in 1988, it climbed all the way to No. 3. The latter rekindled interest in Little Eva, and she started performing again on the Oldies circuit. 

But while the later versions have their charm, there's nothing like the unabashedly sweet and uplifting Little Eva original. Despite the instructions, we're not sure exactly how to do "the Loco-Motion" dance. The lyrics mention hip swinging, jumping, and a "chugga-chugga motion like a railroad train." But over 60 years on, every time she sings "So come on, come on / Do the Loco-Motion with me," we can't help but accept her invitation.